Don't Mess With Tex

Big Tex towers over competition for America's Best Quirky Landmark

There's no debate that Texas has a lot to offer in terms of jobs, housing and entertainment. But a new poll from USA Today looks beyond conventional attractions, and Texas is still tops. According to a 10Best readers' choice poll on Best Quirky Landmarks, a local icon is head and shoulders above the competition.

Dallas' Big Tex has a sizable lead, with Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska, and the Longaberger Home Office in Newark, Ohio, coming in a distant second and third, respectively. The race isn't over yet, though; readers can vote daily through Monday, June 23, at noon EST.

Although the popularity of Big Tex is no surprise — especially given the outpouring after he burned down in 2012 — it is interesting to note that the large cowboy is the only landmark among the 20 on the list that is not on permanent display. He is, of course, only put up during the month-long State Fair of Texas, which starts up again this year on September 26.

Other Texas landmarks on the list include the Beer Can House in Houston, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo and Prada Marfa in Marfa. Only Cadillac Ranch appears to have a prayer of making the top five, as it comes in at No. 5 right now, just behind Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota.

The Quirky Landmark poll is the most recent one from USA Today in which Dallas and/or Texas has ranked highly. Texas won for Best State Slogan — which, for the record, is "It's Like a Whole Other Country" not "Don't Mess with Texas" — and the Dallas Zoo finished at No. 9 on the Best U.S. Zoo list. Remarkably, the Fort Worth Zoo didn't even make the top 10 on that one.

If voting trends continue, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo could make the top five.

Photo by Dawn McMullan

If voting trends continue, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo could make the top five.

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Holiday News

A list of Christmas trees in Dallas, from tallest to shortest

Skaters on an ice rink skate around a 95-feet tall decorated Christmas tree inside a three-level shopping mall.

Photo courtesy of Galleria Dallas

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when all the malls and cities and outlet centers around Dallas do their ceremonial raising and lighting of the Christmas tree. There's a new twist in 2024, and it's quintessential Texas: It's become a contest for who has the biggest tree? More than one has posited a claim to being the tallest tree of all.

With everyone vying to be DFW's version of Rockefeller Center in New York (which this year comes in at 74 feet tall), we thought it was time to take a measuring stick.

Here is our roundup of lighted Christmas trees in DFW in order from tallest to shortest:

Galleria Dallas

The North Dallas mall purports to have the tallest indoor Christmas tree in Texas. ("Everyone from USA Today to Martha Stewart has declared it so," says a Galleria spokesperson.) Installed in the center of their trademark ice rink, it's a 95-foot-tall beauty with 700 branches, hand-sewn twigs, thousands of ball ornaments, and a 10-foot LED star topper that weighs 100 pounds — all told, it takes nearly 50 people and five days to erect. Best of all, the tree is synthetic — so much better than killing a real tree.) They'll do a tree lighting on November 29 and 30.

Sundance Square, Fort Worth

Coming in at second tallest is the 82-foot-tall Norway Spruce at Fort Worth's Sundance Square. It's the largest live tree in Texas and made its grand arrival from Cadillac, Michigan to Sundance Square Plaza on November 25. It's 8 feet taller than this year's Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in New York City so you know Fort Worth is going for bragging rights. There will be a tree lighting from 6-7 pm on December 3.

Peace Plaza,Main Station in Grapevine

Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas, has a sizable entry at 60 feet. It's right next to the outdoor skating rink on the plaza lawn. There wasn't a ceremonious lighting of the tree this year in favor of a street lighting for the Parade of Lights. However, the lights will be on twinkling each night.

Kaleidoscope Park, Frisco

Newly opened Frisco park has put up its first-ever Christmas tree, featuring a 50-foot tree decorated with 42,000 twinkling lights synchronized to festive music. The tree was first lit by Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney on November 22. The tree is located on the park's Activity Lawn.

Klyde Warren Park, Dallas

Downtown Dallas park will host the lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree, a 50-foot-tall, 5,000-pound tree with nearly 40,000 LED lights. They'll host a tree-lighting celebration on December 7 at 6 ;pm, with festivities and music, including a Nutcracker performance and music from the Emerald City Band.

Allen Premium Outlets Mall, Allen

Allen has an admirable entry for an outlet mall: a 38-foot synthetic tree wrapped in 2,000 lights. Extra points for the synthetic. The lights first went up on November 21. Find the tree in the central court, right behind the Allen Premium Outlets sign.

Addison Circle, Addison

As part of Addison's Rockin' Around the Circle holiday activities, the town has set up a 32-foot tall tree, perched on top of a six-foot base, coming in at approximately three stories high. For an added touch, lights on the tree are even synchronized to Christmas music.

Hotel Drover, Fort Worth

The Stockyards hotel has installed a 30-foot Christmas tree located in The Backyard. They'll host a tree lighting on November 29, but only open to guests who stay overnight.

City of Carrollton, Carrollton

Carrollton has a 20-foot-tall tree located on the historic downtown square and they are doing up their tree lighting on December 7 with great fanfare, including photos with Santa, toy soldier stilt walkers, face painting, photo booth, and a 175-foot drone show to accompany the tree lighting. It starts at 7 pm.

Grand Prairie Premium Outlets, Grand Prairie

The outlet mall has a 20-foot-tall synthetic Christmas tree which they installed on November 22.

BONUS: Vitruvian Park, Addison

This isn't a singular tree lighting, but the park's 455 trees are wrapped in over 1.2 million sparkling LED lights as part of a tree lighting display on November 30. Additionally, there will be free Santa photos, letters to Santa, a live reindeer, classic holiday characters, an elf ballon artist, food trucks, and vendors.

holidays